I recently saw a SaaS product page pitching a new idea for designing in SwiftUI.

At the bottom was the typical “Give us your email to learn more” – and I almost signed up.

Almost.

I decided to switch it up.

I bookmarked the page and promised to revisit it in the coming weeks.

Is this the real deal, or are they just testing the waters?

Does their product demo actually work, or is it placeholder smoke and mirrors?

After a few weeks, I got my answer.

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Selling the promise of a thing is no longer the thing.

In the age of AI, you better have a version of your thing up and running.

It doesn’t have to be final or polished, but it has to be demonstrably real enough to communicate tangible value.

Not smoke and mirrors, but sparks and materials.

Fake demos and experimental landing pages might help you get signal, but not traction.

I’ve learned this as a consumer, and I plan to follow it as a maker: Build for real, not just to make a deal.